Sunny Bonnell | Source | Co-Founder & CEO at Motto®

CIA's New Logo is a Small Slice of its Total Brand Pie.

But here’s the hottest take of all: The logo doesn’t matter as much as other elements in the grand scheme of a brand.

“A brand is not a logo. It is the emotional and collective space your organization holds within your audience’s mind. The logo is merely a spoke in a larger wheel and acts as a springboard to a larger brand story [and] richer brand experience,” Sunny Bonnell, founder and CEO of branding agency Motto, told Marketing Brew.

Bonnell cited the CIA’s new website and surrounding messaging as the more important factor in its new branding goal. One example of that messaging: “We are looking for people from all backgrounds and walks of life to carry out the work of a nation.”

The brand is "like rediscovering an old vinyl record and realizing it’s a timeless hit," Sunny Bonnell, CEO and founder of branding agency Motto, told Yahoo Finance in an email. "Birkenstock wears its history and values like a badge of honor."

"Taylor Swift has been using brand strategy to create momentum," Sunny Bonnell, co-founder of branding company Motto, told Yahoo Finance. "Her brand strategy is to thoughtfully manage the meaning of her brand in the audience’s mind."

"I love that she continues to change up this strategy," Bonnell said. "True disruptors create their own playbook and set the direction that everyone else tries desperately to deconstruct."